Ishrat Ishtiaq

Ishrat Ishtiaq

I am Ishrat Ishtiaq.I am self-taught a fine Artist and Calligrapher, born in 12 October.I am Pakistani Female Artist. I consider myself a ‘self-taught’ artist. What does this mean? Essentially, it means I have had very little formal training in art/painting. I took art in high school, and very briefly in college, before switching to psychology for some reason, but since then, everything I’ve learnt has been through self-guided learning, using books, videos, informal online courses, and a large dose of trial-and-error (heavy on the error!) So in a sense, I have been taught by the people who wrote those books and made those videos/courses, but not directly, and the ‘self-taught’ label applies more to the self-directed nature of the learning. I chose what to learn and when, and at what pace. I wasn’t following a curriculum, or being told exactly what to study. As such, my learning has been sporadic, and I’ve been known to go for months at a time without picking up a brush/pencil (although I’m getting into a more regular routine these days). How to be a self-taught artist Here are some of the most beneficial resources I’ve used in my learning path so far. I hope you’ll find them equally useful. Learning to draw: The first step in becoming a good (representational) artist, is learning to draw accurately. (This may not apply to more abstract/modern art, but it may still help to have a solid drawing foundation). By far the best resource I’ve used to improve my drawing skills is the book Sadequain Paintings". This book changed the way I approached drawing, teaching me the skill of ‘seeing’ as much as drawing itself. Learning to paint I actually started out painting entirely through trial and error, without even reading a book. I just bought some painting materials and dived into it. Finding good painting instruction outside of a formal setting has actually been more of a challenge.